Tool for cleaning furnace-grates



Nov. 16, 1937. K. H. TEORELL TOOL FOR CLEANING FURNACE GRATES Filed April 2, 1936 Patented Nov. 16, 1937 PATENT Qt?! 2,099,355 TOOL FOR. CLEANING FURNAOE-GRATES Karl Herman Teorell, Stockholm, Sweden Application April 2, 1936, Serial No. 72,421 In Sweden October 24, 1935 2 Claims.

In so-called magazine furnaces, in which a comparatively large quantity of fuel is introduced into the furnace at a time, it may easily happen that, during the continuous burning of the fuel, a large quantity of ashes or slag is collected in the fire, particularly near the grate. The accumulated ashes (and slag) gradually interfere with the passage of the air of combustion and, when using fuels containing much ash, it there fore, becomes necessary to remove the ashes or slag from time to time. This may be effected by stirring the fire. For this purpose movable grates have previously been used but such contrivances easily go wrong and are, in addition,

of very little use if the ash in the fuel is easily melted so that it forms solid cakes of slag close to the grate. For these reasons, movable grates are practically no longer used and attention has instead been directed to the production of coke with ashes of as high a melting point as possible so as to prevent the formation of slag. Thus, nowadays, all coke leaves no or hardly any slag. Instead, a powdery ash is obtained which ought apparently to be easier to remove than slag. It has, however, been found that most furnace-men do not keep the furnaces sufficiently clear of ashes. Accumulations. of ashes are frequently found, especially near the back end of the furnaces, which prevent the passage of air at a considerable proportion of the grate. In this way, the effective surface of the grate is reduced, resulting in increased combustion on the rest of the surface. The result of this is that, in spite of the high melting point of the ashes, slag is formed which hinders the passage of air so that the fire goes out although there is a sufficiency of fuel in the furnace. It is true that it is possible by thoroughly stirring the fire, to remove the ashes even from the back end of the furnace but, with the tools hitherto used, slagging poker and slagging hook, this has been very difficult and is therefore usually not done satisfactorily.

The object of the present'invention is to remove this trouble by using a tool by means of which the ashes can be removed more easily than with the cleaning and stirring tools hitherto known. According to the present invention, the tool consists of a rod-like member which is provided with edges extending lengthwise, a pointed front end and, at the back-end, a crank-like operating member by means of which the tool can be caused to oscillate (rock) about a longitudinal axis.

The rod-like member may consist of an angular, massive bar or it may be tubular or in the form of a channel.

The invention is shown in the attached drawing in which Figs. 1 and 2 show the tool as seen from different sides, Fig. 3 shows a cross-section along the line III--III in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a side-view of the tool in a modified form of construction. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section along the line V-V in Fig. 4.

According to Figs. 13, the main portion of the tool consists of a tubular member I which has a segment-like profile (see Fig. 3) so that two angular edges extending lengthwise along the sides of the member are formed. The tubular form has been chosen mainly with view to reducing the weight of the member but there is nothing to prevent the use of a solid member with a corresponding cross-section. The front end of the tool is formed into a point 4 which may suitably be of the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The rear end is provided with a handle 5 and a crank-like operating member 6, for example, in the form of a bent cross-bar.

When in use, the tool is pushed by means of the handle 5 along the grate, whereupon the operating member 6 is moved side-ways backwards and forwards. In this, way, the angular edges 2 and 3 will be alternately raised and lowered. The tool will thus obviously be given a rocking motion so that the fuel will be raised, lowered and moved sideways and the ashes will thus be effectively shaken out. The introduction of the tool presents no difficulty and it can obviously easily be pushed forward so that the point reaches the back end of the furnace and that accumulations of ashes at this point can easily be shaken out when the operating member is moved from side to side. Since the thickness of the tool is practically the same throughout, the fuel will not fasten or be dragged out of the furnace when the tool is withdrawn.

Although the segment-like cross-section is suitable, there is obviously nothing to prevent the use of any other cross-section as long as the angular edges are retained. Thus, a curving cross-section may be used as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Further, according to the last-mentioned figures, the main portion l of the tool is not so long as in Figs. 1 and 2 but is in the main limited to the front end of the tool where it forms a channel. This form of construction has been arrived at with particular attention to the fact that the most important thing of all is to remove the ashes from the back ends of the fur-'- naces. The edges of the channel are bevelled at the ends in such a manner that its introduction into and withdrawal from the furnace are facilitated.

The handle and operating member correspond to those already described but are, in this form nal axis of the pushing handle so that the said edges can be alternately raised and lowered when the tool has been pushed along the grate by the pushing handle.

2. A tool for cleaning furnace grates, especially in magazine furnaces, consisting of a rodlike blade of segment shaped cross-section provided with straight, sharp edges extending lengthwise, a pointed front end to facilitate the introduction of the tool, a straight reciprocation handle and a crank-handle, both rigidly connected with the rear end of said blade, said crank handle adapted to cause the tool to oscillate about the longitudinal axis of the recip rocation handle, the rod-like blade being tubular.

KARL HERMAN TEORELL. 

